大象传媒

From Rabbi Pete Tobias of the Liberal Synagogue, Elstree:

听

We live in a world ridden with conflict. Conflict begins when one group of people decide that their view of the world 鈥� religious, political, whatever 鈥� is better than an opposing view. Leaders emerge to promote that view 鈥� and elsewhere others appear to speak out against it. It鈥檚 a depressingly familiar sequence of events.

So we end up with a world where people seem to be either battling to promote an idea or organising themselves to fight against one. A constant alignment of us and them, where we鈥檙e either in favour of one particular world view or we are against it. Us and them 鈥� and of course 鈥榳e鈥� are the good guys with our story while 鈥榯hey鈥� are the opposition, with a different story, the wrong story and it鈥檚 up to 鈥榰s鈥� to put it right. That鈥檚 pretty much what our world looks like today, don鈥檛 you think?

听

Robin Williams, in the film Dead Poets鈥� Society, said: 鈥楴o matter what they tell you, words and ideas can change the world.鈥�

听

Well here鈥檚 an idea.

How about we redefine what we mean by 鈥榰s鈥� and 鈥榯hem鈥�? Instead of making the dividing line religious or political or geographical or whatever other ways our leaders might seek to divide us, let鈥檚 try something different.

How about we put all those who draw up those lines and tell us that we need to stand firmly on one side or the other in one camp? It doesn鈥檛 matter what lines they鈥檝e drawn and what side they happen to be on. The warmongers, the haters, the ones who deny that others have rights 鈥� we know who they are. They can be 鈥榯hem鈥�.

Then, on the other side, let鈥檚 gather all those who recognise that all people have basic rights that deserve to be honoured, that seeking to live together in peace is better than constant conflict. I鈥檇 like to be in this group, so I鈥檒l call this group 鈥榰s鈥�.